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Everything posted by fastvfr

  1. Quizzidom, I have installed several specimens of both cards into PC's both strong and weak. I can tell you that, in games with AA & AF cranked up, the IQ and smoothness cannot be compared between the two. FWIW, EVERY ONE of my gamer clients that have tried to 'skimp' and get a cheap vid card have replaced it within a year...even a poor economist could see that this is insane!! The reason I recommended he wait a little longer wasn't to be an asshat; it was to SAVE him some money in the long run. With a 256MB FX5200 POS costing over $120 at Wally-World it isn't hard to see that $180 spent on a 6600GT is an investment that many would consider ten times wiser...and you didn't take into consideration the high probability of his wasting money on one of those DOA and badly-abused, half-cooked electronic components that are listed for sale on E-Bay, AKA The Great Dumping-Ground. And something else: my Gainward 5900U GS scores about 16,600 in 3DMark01 and around 6200 in '03...but the 6600GT will nearly double those scores in a rig like mine. What's more, you didn't give my suggestion its due for future-proofing, either. Finally, while DX9 may not be necessary for the games on shelves now, there are few games coming out that will play acceptably on the older cards with Medium or higher settings...yet another reason to hold out for something worth owning IMHO. And in games like Painkiller you miss out on too much of the game by having only a DX8 card installed. Just my $000,000.02!
  2. Idea #1: Install FRAPS to get an accurate assessment of your framerate. Idea #2: Try different drivers, USING DRIVER CLEANER IN SAFE MODE IN BETWEEN INSTALLATIONS!!! Idea #3: Is your PSU a good, power, name-brand unit? GL!!
  3. No, the CPU isn't the culprit. My suggestion would be to drop $150 or so to get a 480w Antec or Enermax PSU and an Energizer 650VA UPS to filter your line current. I see this all the time, and the only thing that really cures the problem is to completely isolate the PC from the wall current. That is the UPS I use for my sig rig, and it is quite possibly the best $75 investment I have ever made. Very cheap, yet very effective insurance.
  4. Quote: "It started doing that right after I switched from my 5200 to my 6600GT." Probability of weak PSU causing this: 95%. All the issues you mentioned would occur in any other machine, if it were run with a cheap PSU that did not pack the gear to properly power it... So get a quality name-brand PSU with at least a 400w rating (430w-480w is better BTW) and I'll bet your issues disappear. Also, Shuttle boards are oftem better than some cheaper brands. Just so you know. Good luck!
  5. fastvfr

    Sh Files In Ut2k4

    Snoot, I get the sneaking suspiscion that you are about to get a big RTFM!! Seriously, guy, this takes more than two days to learn. Do yourself a big phat favor and Google up some Linux tutorials before you go nuts, okay?!? That is how many of us got our start. Oh, and some n00b advice: research a given issue for a minimum of 24 hours before asking anyone in a forum for help, so as to minimize the possibility of seeming stumped by non-problems or simple, no-brainer fixes. That saves on credibility in a BIG WAY. Consoling is not an exact science, in most cases, but sort of an art form. The really neat thing about Linux is that there are several ways to do things, lots of times...problem is, there are sometimes mines in this here field!! GL
  6. If you backed up the files you changed, it's just a matter of copying the old files back into the appropriate directories. If not, you could always try mounting the HDD and the CD drive with the disk in it and copying the files from there onto the OS partition. That works...sometimes. IF you took notes and IF nothing else changed and IF there are no orphaned dependencies floating around... Having fun yet? BTW, when I was learning, I used two identical copies of Debian on the same HDD, so if I ruined one all I had to do was mount the other partition and copy everything over. And I did break things. Repeatedly. But I never got upset, since I had a fresh copy of the OS right next door, all ready to go. Sort of like having training wheels for your Linux kernel...but it WORKS!!
  7. Well, first of all, you can go from FAT32 to NTFS ONCE. NTFS to FAT32 doesn't work well at all!! Second, this isn't a job for Knoppix...this is more of a job for the Repair Console. Even starting with a Boot disk and copying the file to C: would work better. Since it looks like the drive is going south, and if he's not totally broke, just grab a new HDD and reinstall XP onto it then slave the old HDD into the rig. GL
  8. The easy fix would be to lose the dinosaur and buy a better monitor... You can get a 17" CRT that supports up to 1600x1200 for under $100 these days! Mine is a ProView 19", and it cost me just $120 after a $50 mail-in rebate.
  9. Install and/or configure Swaret. Decide what you want your box to do, then sic "Soiree" on those apps. GL, and have fun!!
  10. Some people have risked it all, yet managed to run a couple thousand dollars' worth of PC gear from a $10 PSU successfully for a time. Others have had to buy all of those components again when their machines suffered terminal meltdowns. That bargain PSU probably didn't seem like much opf a bargain then!! The moral of the story is that a top-end PSU is cheap insurance, when compared to the cost of rebuilding your rig, and will give better all-round performance than a cheap unit every time, especially when overclocking. I don't NEED a $75 Antec 480w TruePower in my rig, but it is there nonetheless; and my rails never even get as low as 12.00, 3.30 or 5.00... Reserve power is a beautiful thing.
  11. Twice that amount will get him 10X the card, as Ziggy pointed out. There are no good vid cards for 3D games available for under $100.
  12. That can happen if several version are installed over each other... Remove the driver in normal mode, then use Driver Cleaner in Safe Mode to yank any remnants out, and then when you reboot into Normal, reinstall them. I bet they'll stick around.
  13. Sounds like your monitor is dying to me.
  14. Well, since leak-proof permanency is a good idea here:
  15. Why not try running SpeedFan or Motherboard Monitor 5? Or reboot into BIOS and check the stats under PCHealth or HW Monitor. There's a good chance it isn't quite as cool as it has led you to believe...
  16. I absolutely agree with this guy's take on your situation. That 430w Antec for $50 is a good deal; I got my 480w TruePower for about $70...trust me, there are exactly NO CHEAP PSU's that are worth owning. You would risk hundreds of dollars to save twenty or so?!? Wait if you must, but don't waste half of a great PSU to buy a POS, okay?
  17. BFG is the best nVidia cardmaker in business at the moment. When I upgrade, there will be a BFG 6800GT OC in my rig...unless I can swing their Ultra, that is!!
  18. FWIW, as long as you use both of those sticks you have in one channel, and use the newer matched set in the other channel, you will have no problems. You do need IDENTICAL memory in a channel for optimum performance, but you can run seriously disparate RAM in the other DIMM channel with no performance penalty as long as THOSE are identical to each other. BTW, 2GB will slow down lots of systems in games...what apps do you run that you feel require all that RAM?
  19. With a decent non-switching UPS the PC never, ever gets connected to line current at all. Instead it only runs from the battery. The UPS contains a transformer that boosts the battery's output to 115VAC and also has a trickle charger to keep the battery topped up. It becomes obvious how this arrangement would help keep delicate electronics safe from damage once the details are known. And you'd be surprised how many ghostly PC gremlins these things can exorcise!!! GL
  20. That is just a retainer clip and does nothing to align the card in the slot... If the AGP slot doesn't work properly when the card is inserted fully, and wants to be 'wiggled around', then it is indeed shot and a new board is the only cure. Sounds like a connector inside the slot has been damaged, and only by screwing with the card can you get the thing to work. So the next time this happens try bypassing the card and instead pressing down on the slot itself. If that works, then you know the MOBO is gone; maybe that damage occurred when the retainer broke in the first place?!? ) Good luck.
  21. You should be able to up the voltage some more; I have seen that chip running happily at 1.6v and higher. WITH proper cooling, of course.
  22. That isn't bad...generally with your platform a 6800NU will break 4,000 and a 6800GT will top 5K. A 6800U can go from 5400 to 6000 or so. My FX5900 chokes BADLY on 3DMark05...I get around 1700, but 3DMark01SE shjows 16,000 and 3DMark03 nets me 6200 or so now; I got a 6600 when the OS was fresh. So, yeah, your rig is running about right....
  23. Actually, with an OEM Restore Disk, BigR is probably right. Between BIOS Tattooing and the ways the Restore Disk will scan the HW for any changes, he would probably need a new XP disk as well to get going again. Definitely not a good investment; I'd wait for summer and the Big Upgrade, myself.
  24. If you think your PC ought to double as a 5,000 candlepower night light, go with the acrylic. Personally, that metal case leaves me clammy... I like my Thermaltake cases, and for the price of that one you listed, you would be far better off IMHO to spen $20 more and get one as well. ^^$103, shipped, from Directron. My sig rig resides in this one ^^$104, same source, no PS--shipping included. GF's gaming rig. Excellent quality and usability, fantastic ventilation, and terrific features found on cases costing twice as much make either of these a great case choice. I am very pleased with mine. GL
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